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By Bill Blum
Whenever government officials
speak about LSD or marlhuana,
thetr ignorance of the subject
ls painfUlly revealed by the con­tradictions
and conflslons in•
herent in their statements. It
ls paln!Ul because growing
numbers of young people are
suffering in prison because of
such ignorance.
The latest government official
to play "expert'' ls DavidBress,
U .s. Attorney for the Olstrlct of
Columbia. Mr. Bress ls quoted
in the Washl.1gton Post of July
9 as saying: "It ls unfortunate
to take a 19-year-old man and
put him in jail for a marlhuana
violation, Nevertheless he should
not go unpunished." He then
went on to recommend the setting
up of a tac111ty for the "enlighten­ment"
and "rehabilitation" of
hallucinogenic drug users.
Now, if the reason 1t is un­fortunate
to send someone to
jail for a marihuana violation
is that the law is not in tune with
the realities of marlhuana, then
wby does Mr. Bress not speak
about changing the law instead
of speaking about changing the
violator. On the other hand, if
Mr. B r e s s believes the
marlhuana laws to be realistic
and just, why should it be un­fortunate
to send a violator to
jail? Would he apply the same
reasoning to all violators of all
laws? Perhaps he believes that
the law ts ac but that marihuana
users should simply be treated as
"sJck'' p e o p l e instead of as
criminals, In that case, why
speak of 0 puntshment, " an Odd
treatment tor sick people.
In any event, to speak of ••en­Ughtenment'•
or "rehabilitation"
of hallucinogenic drug users re­veals
profound ignorance of both
· tile drugs and the users. What
la suposed to be exorcised from
tlese people? If tt ls their
destre to get high er to ezpand
􀆖􉘠 consciousness, some. tn-
1*restnr legal and pblosopblcal
No.12
zoo
Nf GOTIATIONS NOW
questions are raised, which Mr.
Bress ought to be prepared to
answer. If it ls their desire
not to take part in the main­stream
of American society that
is to be purged, questions, no
less disturbing, are raised, in­cluding
some about the nature of
this society. • · 􀆗􉜭-,;·
Government official s, even f:? /H,􀆘􉡬l'.!:.llWi-􀆙􉤁􀆚􉨺:t\
well-meaning ones like Mr.
.,􀆛􉬠
Brass, will continue to sound /o 1 􀆜􉱦f. , . 1 ,z
folish on the subject of mari luam':.􀆝􉴠 ,. · ?.: .·; r ]1-'
and LSD as long as the laws :f:l':*􀀆􀚷· . .:7􀆞􉹦f '',,,,r􀆟􉾷· fJ. 'f
,.J
governing the use of these sub- 1',:/j􀆠􊀠 ..
,
􀆡􊄱1 yf!?:l ,. 􀀇􀜠 1 •
stances remain so out of touch · 􀆢􊊷· ,{l ,)i;-: \\,.
with the actual effects ot thel'T}, w •I ' • 0
/ •• 􀀈􀡩ir-: / ' , • • • :􀆣􊌭-􀆤􊐠 J􀆥􊕬l(, Ju'"., . ., . .--.,.,.,􀆦􊘮.,.-, •
., I&:!,• The Psychedelic Information
' · -·, '<􀆧􊜱1:.,
Center of Wa$hlngton has issued
a paper entitled "Facts About
Marlhuana," Compiled from such
authoritative sources as the basic
text on pharmacology "The Phar-macological
Basis of Therapeu-tics"
and the President's Crime
Commission, the paper discus-ses,
among other things, the ob-jective
and subjective efects of
marihuana, its non-relation to
crime and the legal and moral
questions surrounding it,
Much of the information 1n the
paper is c o m m on knowledge
among users ot marlhuana, but
it performs the very valuable
fUnction of bringing together in
one concise lejtlet (both sides
of a legal size sheet) informa­tion
which the publlc at large
should be aware of, particularly
some judges we know. The paper
states that there are an estimated
30,000 persons in prison today
for marihuana ofenses. The facts
it llsts serve to underscore the
immense injustice and cruelty
of such a situation.
THE ANATOMY OF A SELL-OUT
Pages 7 and 8
IDE.NTIFICA TION
Up to 50 fre copies can be
obtained by writing to the Psy­chedellc
Information Center of
Wasblngton, D.c., P .o. Box 4958,
Wa s h i n g t o n 20008. Additional
copies are available at $1 per
bwidred.
Oollfllr:al/11 known u Cannabla aliva L., tho hemp plant i an annual rrowlna eack
year from the aed. 11.i,At: 3 to 16 feet according to cl imate. '-: Compound. Bach of
tho larger ont1 oonalat o! S to II 1<parate leaActa, gen orally 7. Kach leaftet ta hair co-,.
•red, kffated (with notcled edgea) and veined. In color the uper aide ii d.,p &TUn and
the lower aide lighter gr . n. 1
Nor<ollc /lrltdpl• of tho plant: Cannabln.
8lat•lor1 ,.,., in the United Statc:a: Marihuana.
1 MWUla. 111 lik•tJl:utJoo. U S. T,n-vrJ' Ot-rutu,ut, R•rNu ot Nutohc.1.
LEAF _OF MARIHUANA

By Bill Blum
Whenever government officials
speak about LSD or marlhuana,
thetr ignorance of the subject
ls painfUlly revealed by the con­tradictions
and conflslons in•
herent in their statements. It
ls paln!Ul because growing
numbers of young people are
suffering in prison because of
such ignorance.
The latest government official
to play "expert'' ls DavidBress,
U .s. Attorney for the Olstrlct of
Columbia. Mr. Bress ls quoted
in the Washl.1gton Post of July
9 as saying: "It ls unfortunate
to take a 19-year-old man and
put him in jail for a marlhuana
violation, Nevertheless he should
not go unpunished." He then
went on to recommend the setting
up of a tac111ty for the "enlighten­ment"
and "rehabilitation" of
hallucinogenic drug users.
Now, if the reason 1t is un­fortunate
to send someone to
jail for a marihuana violation
is that the law is not in tune with
the realities of marlhuana, then
wby does Mr. Bress not speak
about changing the law instead
of speaking about changing the
violator. On the other hand, if
Mr. B r e s s believes the
marlhuana laws to be realistic
and just, why should it be un­fortunate
to send a violator to
jail? Would he apply the same
reasoning to all violators of all
laws? Perhaps he believes that
the law ts ac but that marihuana
users should simply be treated as
"sJck'' p e o p l e instead of as
criminals, In that case, why
speak of 0 puntshment, " an Odd
treatment tor sick people.
In any event, to speak of ••en­Ughtenment'•
or "rehabilitation"
of hallucinogenic drug users re­veals
profound ignorance of both
· tile drugs and the users. What
la suposed to be exorcised from
tlese people? If tt ls their
destre to get high er to ezpand
􀆖􉘠 consciousness, some. tn-
1*restnr legal and pblosopblcal
No.12
zoo
Nf GOTIATIONS NOW
questions are raised, which Mr.
Bress ought to be prepared to
answer. If it ls their desire
not to take part in the main­stream
of American society that
is to be purged, questions, no
less disturbing, are raised, in­cluding
some about the nature of
this society. • · 􀆗􉜭-,;·
Government official s, even f:? /H,􀆘􉡬l'.!:.llWi-􀆙􉤁􀆚􉨺:t\
well-meaning ones like Mr.
.,􀆛􉬠
Brass, will continue to sound /o 1 􀆜􉱦f. , . 1 ,z
folish on the subject of mari luam':.􀆝􉴠 ,. · ?.: .·; r ]1-'
and LSD as long as the laws :f:l':*􀀆􀚷· . .:7􀆞􉹦f '',,,,r􀆟􉾷· fJ. 'f
,.J
governing the use of these sub- 1',:/j􀆠􊀠 ..
,
􀆡􊄱1 yf!?:l ,. 􀀇􀜠 1 •
stances remain so out of touch · 􀆢􊊷· ,{l ,)i;-: \\,.
with the actual effects ot thel'T}, w •I ' • 0
/ •• 􀀈􀡩ir-: / ' , • • • :􀆣􊌭-􀆤􊐠 J􀆥􊕬l(, Ju'"., . ., . .--.,.,.,􀆦􊘮.,.-, •
., I&:!,• The Psychedelic Information
' · -·, '